The shopfront wasn’t big. Beside it stood a brightly colored signboard, written in English: Rice fried with eggs.
Egg fried rice.
Lou Mingshen withdrew his gaze. “No need, let’s go.”
“Yes.”
The Bentley turned around and drove off.
…
After dinner, Jiang Fuyue and her group rushed back to the hotel before dark.
Barely five minutes after entering her room, Yuan Bentao hurried over.
“…An interview?” Jiang Fuyue raised her brows. “Now?”
Yuan Bentao’s expression was solemn. “Yes. A representative from the main exam committee is already downstairs.”
“Did they say why?”
“The other party wouldn’t reveal specifics, only that it has to do with the solution to Question Six.”
Jiang Fuyue thought for a moment, seeming to realize something. “Let’s go.”
Five minutes later, she and Yuan Bentao got into a car sent by the exam committee.
Chen Cheng: “That looks like Sister Yue and Professor Yuan?”
Tan Jiaxu focused his eyes. “It really is…”
The two ran over.
“Did something happen?”
Yuan Bentao gave a rough explanation.
Chen Cheng: “What about the solution? Is there a problem?”
Yuan Bentao: “Not clear yet. We’ll only know when we get there.”
No sooner had he finished than the car drove away.
Chen Cheng watched the back of the car recede farther and farther, worry flashing in his eyes. “Could it be some kind of plot?”
Tan Jiaxu frowned. “This is a society governed by law. They wouldn’t dare be so brazen, right?”
That was what he said, but there wasn’t much conviction in it.
The two exchanged a look.
Chen Cheng gritted his teeth: “I’ll go online to find the embassy’s phone number. You contact Teacher Xu and explain the situation. If Sister Yue and Professor Yuan aren’t back after midnight, we call for help!”
Embassy abroad.
Police at home.
Two-pronged approach.
Tan Jiaxu nodded. “Okay, I’ll call Teacher Xu right now. If he hears Sister Yue’s been taken away, he’ll be so anxious he’ll jump up…”
Thirty minutes later, the car stopped in front of another hotel.
Jiang Fuyue and Yuan Bentao were led to a banquet hall.
The moment the doors opened, dazzling lights spilled out. The full exam committee was present, including Li Zhao.
No doubt about it—this was the grading site for this year’s IMO!
Jiang Fuyue was invited inside, and every gaze in the room fell squarely on her.
At the center sat Professor Gale, chair of the committee. He spoke: “You are Jiang Fuyue?”
She nodded, straightforward: “Something you need?”
Gale turned to his assistant and said something in Romance language.
Jiang Fuyue caught it—it was an order to fetch a Chinese interpreter.
She spoke at once: “No need. English or Romance is fine.”
Gale looked surprised, clearly not expecting her to speak Romance. He waved off the assistant and then said in English: “Sorry to call you over so late at night. We have a few questions about your solution to Question Six, and we hope you can explain them in person.”
“Sure.”
The other professors all paused their work, ears perked.
Gale: “Could you first explain your train of thought?”
Jiang Fuyue: “This question is a preliminary exploration of complex differential geometry from an algebraic perspective… The equation mentioned is actually a variation of the Hermitian–Yang–Mills equation…”
Gale was momentarily dazed after listening.
The other professors were equally stunned.
This question… connected to the Hermitian–Yang–Mills equation?
They all hurriedly pulled out the exam paper again, reread Question Six from beginning to end.
Didn’t look, didn’t know. Looked—and were startled!
Some professors even picked up pens and started calculating on the spot.
And finally proved—it was indeed a simplified variation of the Hermitian–Yang–Mills equation!
Even the team leader from Country Y, who had proposed this problem, looked dumbfounded.
Apparently, even he hadn’t realized it beforehand.
Awkward.
A whole committee of professors, less perceptive than one student?
Jiang Fuyue paid no mind to their reactions, continuing on her own: “Since it’s a deformation of the Hermitian–Yang–Mills equation, then I thought—couldn’t we approach the solution from the perspective of the Standard Model in quantum mechanics?”
This question mark was planted in every heart present.
The official answer key was the conventional method—complex algebraic operations, multiple substitutions into geometric models, then finally solving to reach the result.
Not only was the calculation load massive, but one misstep along the way could derail the entire solution. It also required strong modeling ability. For high schoolers, it was already an ultra-top-level difficulty.
By contrast, Jiang Fuyue’s exam paper was clean and concise. Her solution was largely logical derivation, with minimal calculations.
Yet the final answer was identical to the key. This had caught the graders’ eyes.
They pulled her paper aside for analysis.
But even together, they couldn’t trace a clear logic. Some steps, they couldn’t even understand. But they couldn’t just declare her wrong—the correct answer was right there. She couldn’t have guessed it so perfectly.
That was why they invited her here tonight.
Gale: “Then can you explain these steps in the middle?”
Jiang Fuyue: “I need a whiteboard and a marker.”
Gale gave a slight nod to his assistant, who quickly prepared them.
Jiang Fuyue uncapped the marker. “As we all know, there are two crucial equations in the field of complex differential geometry. One is the Hermitian–Yang–Mills equation, which became part of the standard model in quantum mechanics; the other is the Kähler–Einstein equation, which is closely related to relativity. Both originated from physics.”
“Solving these two equations under stability conditions has long been a central task in complex differential geometry.”
In 1977, Shing-Tung Yau solved the Kähler–Einstein equation with zero curvature.
In 1985, Donaldson, Uhlenbeck, and Yau solved the Hermitian–Yang–Mills equation under stability assumptions.
In 2012, Chen Xiuxiong, Donaldson, and Sun Song jointly solved the positively curved Kähler–Einstein equation under stability.
Jiang Fuyue circled a large section in red on the whiteboard, then pointed at it, enunciating each word: “These steps represent the process of solving the J-equation proposed independently by Chen Xiuxiong and Donaldson, as well as the deformed supercritical Hermitian–Yang–Mills equation proposed by Yau and others—under stability assumptions. It builds a bridge between the Hermitian–Yang–Mills equation and the Kähler–Einstein equation.”
“In this way, the derived equation can be directly applied to this problem—substitute these six numbers in sequence, and you’ll get the result.”
The hard part was the derivation; the substitution step could be done by a grade-schooler.
That was the real reason the computation was so efficient.
Professor Gale’s eyes widened in shock.
The expressions of the other team leaders were equally complicated—because Jiang Fuyue’s derivation had just solved the two most important equations in complex differential geometry!
This was enough to be published as a major research result in a world-class mathematics journal.
Finally, Jiang Fuyue concluded: “I’ve already organized the full derivation into a paper, tentatively titled ‘On the J-Equation and the Deformation of the Supercritical Hermitian–Yang–Mills Equation’, which I plan to submit to Advances in Mathematics.”
Advances in Mathematics was one of the most prestigious journals in the international mathematical community, on par with Journal of the American Mathematical Society, Acta Mathematica, and Annals of Mathematics.
It wasn’t hard to imagine the sensation this paper would cause in the global complex differential geometry field once it was published!
Some people solve problems. Others create new theories while solving them.
Sometimes, people just aren’t comparable.
—
After the interview, Jiang Fuyue and Yuan Bentao were escorted back to the hotel.
Chen Cheng and Tan Jiaxu had been waiting in the lobby, ready to act at any time.
“Look! It’s Sister Yue and Professor Yuan—they’re back!” Tan Jiaxu said excitedly.
The two rushed forward.
Chen Cheng: “Are you both okay?”
As he spoke, he gave them a thorough once-over from head to toe.
Yuan Bentao couldn’t hide his smile. “We’re fine, all standard procedure.”
Tan Jiaxu breathed a sigh of relief—just as Xu Jing called. “Hello, Teacher Xu? Yes, they’re back, just now… everything’s fine, Sister Yue is perfectly okay!”
After a few affirmative hums, he hung up.
Jiang Fuyue raised a brow. “You told Teacher Xu?”
“Uh… we were worried something might happen, so we thought maybe he could alert the authorities back home—though we weren’t sure it’d help…”
Jiang Fuyue: “Thank you.”
“Hehe…” Tan Jiaxu smiled sheepishly. “Sister Yue, why did the exam committee call you in so late?”
“They wanted to ask about my solution to problem six.”
“That’s it?”
“What else?” Jiang Fuyue laughed when she saw their eager expressions.
“Nothing… What about problem six?”
Yuan Bentao: “I know! I’ll tell you!”
Since someone volunteered, Jiang Fuyue waved them off and went to her room to organize the paper.
She completely missed the two fanboys bursting into a chorus of admiration:
“Awesome!”
“Legendary!”
“As expected of my Sister Yue!”
“Those examiners must’ve been frozen in shock!”
“I wish I’d seen their faces.”
“Such a pity we weren’t there.”
—
The next morning, the sun hung warm and gentle in the sky, dispelling the winter chill.
Teams from all countries gathered in the University of Zurich’s auditorium, with the entire exam committee, including the chair, in attendance.
As everyone waited eagerly, the results were announced.
Jiang Fuyue, Ling Xuan, and Guo Zidong all scored perfect 42s; Chen Cheng scored 40; Tan Jiaxu 41; Wei Kongjue 41.
Undisputed first place in the team ranking!
Under Naohara Tosaki’s leadership, Team R performed well too—but still trailed the Huaxia team by twelve points, settling for second place.
Next came the individual awards.
All six members of the Huaxia team won gold, claiming nearly 90% of the gold medals at this IMO—a record in the history of China’s Mathematical Olympiad team!
Yuan Bentao grabbed Li Zhao’s sleeve in excitement, muttering, “Six gold medals! Am I dreaming?”
Li Zhao remained composed. “Want me to punch you so you’ll know?”
“Do it! Quick!”
“…Forget it.”
Naohara Tosaki also won gold, but his face was dark and tense, his eyes unreadable.
Yet the results were final—accept it or not.
After the gold, silver, and bronze announcements, only the special prize remained.
According to the rules, the committee could award it to a student who had given an exceptionally elegant solution or made a significant discovery in mathematics.
Host: “The recipient of this year’s IMO Special Prize is—”
“Jiang Fuyue! Congratulations!”
Before the words even finished, Chen Cheng and Tan Jiaxu leapt to their feet, shouting, “Sister Yue, V587!” (meaning ‘mighty and awesome’)
Wei Kongjue and Guo Zidong were half a beat behind: “Sister Yue, YYDS!” (‘Forever the God!’)
After a brief stunned silence, the entire hall erupted—
“Wow! The Huaxia team is unbelievable!”
“Jiang Fuyue again! She’s incredible—a walking cheat code!”
“Perfect scores, golds, firsts, and now the special prize in IMO, IPhO, and IOI—she’s collected them all. Unbelievable.”
“She’s singlehandedly breaking high-score records across the Big Three Olympiads. Amazing…”
“After this, Huaxia’s academic competition power will top the global rankings again!”
—
Li Zhao and Yuan Bentao exchanged a look, eyes misty.
Li Zhao: “Old Yuan, she really did it.”
Yuan Bentao murmured, dazed, “Is there anything Jiang Fuyue can’t do?”
That afternoon, after the closing ceremony, when the reporters dispersed, the news exploded.
Domestic media jumped on it instantly.
Within half an hour, the hashtag #JiangFuyueWinsIMOGold began trending—
then climbed higher, and higher—until it reached number one.
【My Sister Yue—brilliant, bold, unstoppable!】
【Look at her at seventeen or eighteen… and then look at me. Case closed—I’m just background decoration.】
【Honestly, math olympiads aren’t that hard. I’ve studied them for ages. I can now… read the problems fluently. 😊】
【U1S1 (to be honest), before today, I thought that “genius all-rounder girls” only existed in the novel bookmarks of my XiaoXiang reading app.】
【As a fellow high school student, I’m crying right now.】
【Goddess Yue has successfully made me realize how uneven this world truly is.】
【Mm, confirmed by the eyes — she’s someone completely beyond the range of my jealousy.】
【My Sister Yue is smart, has lots of hair, and will never go bald.】
【When someone is so much better than you, you can’t even feel jealous anymore — only admiration.】
【Sister Yue is awesome — the kind of thing that, even if my mom saw it, she wouldn’t scold me for.】
【Looking at Sister Yue’s photo on the winner’s podium, my tears suddenly started falling again. Still that same phrase — when the youth are strong, the nation is strong!】
——
When Xu Jing received the news, he was in the middle of teaching Class Three.
From far down the hallway came the voice of Director Zhao Tiejun, unable to suppress his excitement as he shouted—
“Old Xu! Jiang Fuyue won gold at the IMO!”
His voice echoed down the corridor; the entire senior year heard it.
Xu Jing’s hand slackened, the pen fell onto the podium with a loud clang, and he just froze.
It wasn’t until the students below erupted into cheers and applause that he finally snapped out of it.
“I knew it! Once Sister Yue steps up, gold medals come easy!”
“What should we do—today’s another day of going crazy over the Goddess Yue?”
“Wuwu… Sister Yue, you’re my eternal light. No one will ever surpass you.”
“If there’s ever a model for a top-student novel heroine, it’s definitely her!”
“Our No.1 High School is gonna be trending again, huh?”
“I deeply worry for the junior students applying this year—are they gonna have to sharpen their brains into pencils?”
“I doubt even a pencil could squeeze its way in.”
“Thank goodness my mom gave birth to me two years earlier.”
——
Xu Jing didn’t even know how he finished that class, or how he floated back to the office afterward.
It felt like his feet were treading on clouds, his whole body soaked in honey.
When he reached the office, Meng Zhijian and Yu Wenzhou were already there. The two exchanged a glance.
“Old Xu might’ve gotten so excited he’s gone dumb, huh?”
“Quite possible.”
“Tsk tsk, no composure at all…”
Xu Jing realized they were badmouthing him, glared, and snapped, “You’re just jealous! Hmph!”
Meng Zhijian leisurely sipped his tea. “Jealous of what? It’s not like I haven’t experienced it before. When Jiang Fuyue won gold at the IPhO, the IMO hadn’t even started its preliminaries yet.”
Xu Jing choked. “Don’t think you’re special just ‘cause you’ve got a gold. I’ve got one too now—plus team overall first place and a special award!”
Meng Zhijian curled his lip. “Sorry, I’ve got those too.”
Yu Wenzhou looked at the two childish men, rolled his eyes, and ruthlessly cut in: “Give it a rest. ‘You’ve got one, I’ve got one’? How shameless can you be? She’s the one who has it, thank you very much—Jiang Fuyue.”
Xu Jing + Meng Zhijian: “Shut up!”
Yu Wenzhou: “…” What, you’re not even allowed to tell the truth these days?
——
Meanwhile, after the closing ceremony, it was already afternoon.
There were no flights back to China, so they had to reschedule for the next day.
After dinner, Jiang Fuyue and the others went to a nearby convenience store to buy souvenirs.
“Sister Yue, you’re buying so much—can your suitcase even fit it all?”
Jiang Fuyue: “I’ll just courier it back home.”
She only kept the gifts for her family with her; the ones for teachers and classmates she’d mail.
That night, after packing her luggage, Jiang Fuyue lay down early to rest.
In the dark, she opened her eyes, thought for a moment, reached out from under the blanket, and felt for her phone by the pillow.
Opening WeChat, she found Xie Dingyuan—
【I can now rightfully accept your congratulations.】
Ten minutes passed. No reply.
She didn’t feel disappointed, just put her phone down and closed her eyes to sleep.
——
The next morning at eight, the return flight boarded on schedule.
Once seated, Jiang Fuyue put on her eye mask, pulled up the blanket, and drifted off.
Half-asleep, she felt someone sit beside her, and then another voice spoke:
“Sorry, boss. Due to the last-minute change, there were no more business-class seats available. We’ll have to… make do.”
A man responded with a low hmm—his tone wasn’t pleasant, but not quite unfriendly either.
Jiang Fuyue turned slightly. Luckily, their conversation didn’t last long, and she fell back into sleep.
When she woke, the plane was flying steadily. She took off her mask and set the blanket aside.
The flight attendant’s cart happened to stop by her row.
“Could I have a cup of water, please? Thank you.”
“…Here’s your water, please enjoy.”
As Jiang Fuyue reached out to take it, her gaze brushed over the man beside her—and in the next instant, her pupils contracted, her hand trembled.
With the attendant’s startled cry, the water inevitably spilled onto the man, soaking his expensive suit pants.
Lou Mingshen’s brows furrowed tightly.
He instinctively turned to look at the culprit—only to catch, quite unexpectedly, the flash of cold sharpness in the girl’s eyes before she hid it away.
He raised an eyebrow. Since when do kids make mistakes and still look so righteous about it?
Jiang Fuyue met his gaze, her heart thudding violently. She clenched her jaw, barely suppressing the surge of killing intent and cold fury in her eyes.
Lou. Ming. Shen.
Anyone would lose their composure if they woke up and found the person beside them was the murderer who’d killed them in their past life.
A second later, Jiang Fuyue dropped her gaze, avoiding his probing eyes.
The flight attendant finally found some napkins, pulling two out and reaching toward Lou Mingshen to wipe him off.
But before she could touch him, he stopped her with a cold, low voice: “No need.”
“I’m so sorry, it was my fault—”
“The one who should be apologizing isn’t you,” Lou Mingshen cut in, his tone edged with frost.
Jiang Fuyue’s lips curved slightly, and beneath her downcast eyes flashed a trace of mockery.
The Lou Mingshen of today was no longer that timid, withdrawn boy from years ago. Time had given him the poise and allure of maturity; even after twenty years, not a hint of age showed.
His voice carried power and confidence.
And of course, that line wasn’t directed at the flight attendant—so it could only be for…
Jiang Fuyue, however, acted as if she hadn’t heard, showing no intention of apologizing.
The man frowned, then spoke directly: “Miss, your hand shook, you spilled water all over me—shouldn’t you at least say sorry?”
Jiang Fuyue didn’t look at him, her face impassive. “…Oh. Sorry.”
Lou Mingshen: “?”
Well, she did apologize, but somehow it felt even more perfunctory than not saying it at all.
A glint of coldness flashed in his eyes, and his tone dropped. “Your apology sounds completely insincere.”
Jiang Fuyue slowly lifted her gaze, meeting his eyes. In that moment, Lou Mingshen saw the corner of her lips curl into a faint, mocking smile.
His brows drew together sharply.
